Have kids go to the rug for storytime. Ask children if they know what the Day of the Dead is?
The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead. Many Mexican American communities also celebrate it. Día de los muertos is a Spanish phrase meaning day of the dead. On this day, families gather in churches, at cemeteries, and in homes. They pray for and remember loved ones who have died. The celebration is usually on November 2, the Roman Catholic religious festival of All Souls' Day. Some people celebrate over several days, including All Saints' Day on November 1.
Read the story, Funny Bones: Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonctiuh.
Funny Bones tells the story of how the amusing calaveras—skeletons performing various everyday or festive activities—came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852–1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians. However, today he is best known today for his calavera drawings. They have become synonymous with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.
Afterwards have children make their own mask that they could use on November 2.
Material Needed:
Skull printed out on cardstock. (copy on tool page)
White cardstock
color pencils
ribbon and/or popsicle sticks
Craft:
Print out skull coloring page on white cardstock.
Have kids color it. They can mount it on a popsicle stick or make a mask out of it by attaching ribbon to the left and right side of the mask.
See below for an example:
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